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Political Science

The academic study of political phenomena centers on political science (efforts empirically to document how politics occurs and to develop theories about its regular patterns), political theory (the study of ideas and the history of those ideas in political discourse) and international relations (the study of all aspects of global society including organizations and relations between states). Each of these three areas includes specialised research and publications. In political science many scholars focus on the US political system examining such issues and institutions as elections, presidential and congressional politics or law and civil rights; while others concentrate on comparative studies of more than one political system or understanding large processes such as democratization or political participation (voting and public opinion). Political theorists include scholars examining how best to understand ideas such as justice or equality or deliberation, and how the meaning of these concepts has evolved. IR scholars range from those interested in such events as war or peace, international economic relations or the role of organizations like the United Nations in shaping global society and the maintenance of human rights. There is both methodological and substantive overlap between the three branches expressed for instance in a shared interest in law and its effects, and in refining empirical tools such as survey research or experiments to improve the reliability of empirical findings.

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